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| Contributed photo Andrew, at left, and Ed Christie had a very successful day of goose hunting a few years ago. Andrew says that his favorite part of hunting is spending time with his dad. |
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
Hunting is a long-time family tradition for many Mainers, and Youth Deer Hunting Day on Oct. 20 provides a special opportunity for youths to connect with the same activity their ancestors enjoyed.
“The purpose of hunting and fishing with your children is not necessarily to kill an animal or catch a fish; it’s the connection and the family connection that you make with youngsters — and I think that’s an overlooked factor today,” explained Leo Kieffer of Caribou — a Maine Master Guide, former state senator and retired businessperson.
Caribou High School freshman Andrew Christie was very upfront when it came to his favorite aspect of going out on hunting.
“Spending time with my dad,” he said.
Andrew and his father, Game Warden for the Caribou District Ed Christie, both of New Sweden, try to get out hunting together whenever they can; this will be their fifth year participating in the October Youth Deer Hunting Day, which is one special day where kids hunt white tail deer.
It seems like all youths remember their first hunting excursion — and that sentiment holds true for the Christies.
Andrew remembers jumping a big buck with his dad on his first youth hunting day; Ed remembers picking potatoes to earn enough money to buy his own shotgun, going on his first hunt at the age of 10.
“Not only do I remember my first hunting trip,” said Kieffer, “I remember very many hunting trips with my dad and older brother and one of our neighbors — those are the things I could sit down and tell you verbatim what happened at different time.”
The Kieffer family, including his five daughters and two sons, were all brought up around the outdoors, spending lots of time at their camp fishing and, if they chose, hunting.
“Hunting partridge doesn’t mean you have to shoot a bunch of partridge,” he emphasized. “It’s nice if they have the opportunity to, but the real important part of [going hunting] is the camaraderie established and the honesty that’s established through outdoor activities.”
Recently, Kieffer took his two grandsons out birding and “we didn’t get any birds, but we had a good time and they thoroughly enjoyed it.”
For anyone who ventures out into the woods now, hunter or hiker, Ed Christie emphasized the necessity of wearing two pieces of orange — a solid hunter-orange hat and another article that covers the torso in at least 50 percent of that iconic blaze orange.
There are many rules governing hunters through the various seasons, and those rules can seem daunting for families interested in starting their own hunting traditions.
For beginner hunters, Kieffer suggests joining a local hunting club — the largest of which is the Presque Isle Fish and Game Club.
“There’s a great opportunity for parents to take their children out and join some of these clubs,” Kieffer said. He routinely sees parents bring their kids to fish and game meetings, and the kids seem excited to be engaging with adults on a common topic.
Kieffer described what he thinks the greatest thing in the world — take youngsters out in the woods to experience nature and go hunting.
“I get a great kick out of watching youngsters, how they react to different things, what they react to, and how they enjoy it,” he said. “They learn many things out in the woods, and it’s interesting to sit down and talk with them about it.”
If there’s a testament to the memories created when families and close friends spend time together on hunting or fishing trips, it’s listening to Ed and Andrew tell their own hunting stories. From the time Andrew spent three days with a family friend trying to track down a moose to the time he was goose hunting with his father and ended up bagging what can only be considered to be the unicorn of the hunting world — a double banded Canadian Goose, on his first shot.
“I’ve been hunting for 22 years and I’ve never seen a double banded goose,” Ed said with a proud, fatherly smile.
